Curse of the Progenitor
by zeppelon
Summary: As Byleth passes the years after the war, he realized immortality had many downsides. [Azure Moon Route]


_****WARNING** This story contains spoilers for the Azure Moon route. If you haven't played it yet, go do it! It's great! **WARNING****_

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_**Salute! Ever since finishing Three Heroes, I've been mulling this story in my head and couldn't rest till I wrote it down. This is my first fanfic, so I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes or sentences that may look a little wonky. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you will enjoy reading it.**_

* * *

The carriage slowly climbed the hill to the mansion.

It just turned spring in Fodlan, and the trees were already starting to show signs of life. Some of the trees they passed were already sprouting fresh leaves.

_**And the leaves will decay, come fall. Just like last year, just like every year. **_

"Archbishop," The guard on horseback said to the occupant in the carriage. "we will be approaching the mansion shortly."

He nodded to the guardsman. The guardsman was young, and this was probably his first time escorting someone of such high status, and he could see the nervousness in his eyes. "Very good, my child." Archbishop Byleth replied.

As the carriage continued climbing, Byleth could see signs of a roof. The roof was painted a dark brown, her favorite color. Upon seeing the first signs of the mansion, he almost asked the coach headsmen to turn around, knowing what awaited him.

But no, he owed it to her, as he did to all of them. If he didn't see her now…

"A-Archbishop...if I may ask, why are we heading here?" The guardsman asked hesitatingly. Byleth was almost thankful to the guard, allowing him to stop thinking any more dark thoughts.

"There's is an old friend of mine that has made her residence here. I wish to see her, one last time."

"I-I see, forgive me for asking, Archbishop." The guardsmen stammered. "Is this friend one of the...heroes of the kingdom?"

_**Heroes…They were all considered heroes, but to you, you could only see them as your students.**_

"She is. After the war, she became a teacher. Now she has retired here."

"But that was years ago...so then…" The guard suddenly realized. "P-please forgive me, Archbishop! I meant no disrespect or to pry into your matters!"

Byleth gave a small smile to the guardsman. "Do not apologize for being curious, my child. I know you meant no harm." The guard bowed sheepishly and tried his best to make himself hidden.

When the carriage finished climbing the hill, they found themselves in front of a large mansion surrounded by a garden of exotic flowers and plants. The mansion resided in a secluded forest, with a moderately warm temperature year-round. Most of the plants were unsuitable for such temperatures, but she poured so much love into them they looked like they always belonged there.

_**You climb the hill, visiting. She is there, kneeling, digging dirt with her gloved hands. She notices your approach. She smiles. She looks so happy.**_

On top of the steps to the mansion porch, Byleth spotted a thin, stout man awaiting his arrival. When the carriage finally stopped, one of the guardsmen opened the side of the carriage.

`"Your Archbishop." The guardsman bowed while holding the door.

"Thank you my child." Byleth replied. As he stepped out he looked more closely at the man on top of the stairs. The deep frown on his face, the anxiety…

"There is no need to stable the horses, child, refresh and feed the horses...we will…"

The man on the steps looks at Byleth, and the man's frown deepens. The man shakes his head sadly.

"We will depart this evening."

"As you command, Archbishop." The guards began to tend to the horses as Byleth climbed the steps.

"Thank you, thank you so much for coming Archbishop." The thin man stammered as Byleth approached.

"Of course, Principle...how is she?" Byleth felt he already knew the answer.

The principle, head of the Royal School of Sorcery, spoke. "Not well, I'm afraid...the doctors are surprised she lasted this long, to be honest." The principle grimaced. "I believe she was waiting."

Byleth pursed his lips. "Then let us not keep her waiting any longer."

The principal nodded. "Yes, Archbishop. Please, follow me."

The principal opened the front door and led him inside. As they walked through the mansion, Byleth took a look around his surroundings. He has been here many times, but he was always amazed at how comforting and homely the mansion felt. He would often come here, in the spring, and they would have tea in the garden while they talked about mundane things. No politics, no religion. Just a student and her professor, enjoying the scenery around them.

_**She escorts you down the hall. "Crumpets?" She asks you. You reply yes, please. "You picked a perfect time, I just received some southern fruit blend tea, I know that's your favorite."**_

_**You smile. It is a good memory. But it will never occur again. With any of them.**_

They made their way to the second floor, and the principal stopped at one of the hallway doors.

"I will leave you two by yourselves…" The principal said. "If you have need of me, I'll be downstairs."

"Thank you, Principal."

The principal, hesitantly, as if unsure what to do, bowed, then proceeded to walk down the hallway.

Byleth grabbed the door handle, but before he turned it, he froze.

_**Can you do this? Can you do this again? How many times must you go through this?**_

Byleth frowned.

_**You must. You are their professor.**_

Turning the handle, he entered the room.

* * *

The room was well decorated, and like the rest of the mansion radiated warmth and comfort. On one end of the room was a single bed, angled just right so the occupant could look out the open window. Outside, a view of the garden could be seen. The curtains around the window fluttered from a gust of wind as if beckoning Byleth to come closer.

It was almost ethereal.

"Professor…?" The occupant on the bed asked.

Byleth looked at her and almost crumbled then and there. No longer was her hair a radiant red, instead, a white pallid color replaced it. The pale, beautiful skin she wore was now wrinkled and freckled. She has been like that for quite some years. But now, in the end, he finally noticed just how old she really was.

It was a body that had lived for many years but could live no longer.

But her eyes, her eyes still had that dazzling blue.

"Annette…" Byleth croaked. Emotions that years ago he thought would never have existed in him bubbled inside, attempting to burst out.

"Oh, Professor...you did come. Please...have a seat." Annette feebly motioned to a chair next to the bed.

Byleth approached the bed and sat down. He wasn't quite sure what to say, he never seemed to when it came to this point, despite doing it so many times. So he said the only thing that came to mind.

"How are you, my child?"

Annette frowned. "Please Professor, none of this Archbishop nonsense. You know you can always be yourself around your students."

Byleth let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Of course. Forgive me, Annette. Some habits are hard to get rid of."

Annette smiled. Even after all these years, her smile was the same. "Hm-hm, of course, Professor. But to be honest...I wasn't expecting you, with the new term being so close."

"They'll be fine without me. This is more important. To me."

Annette's smile widened. "That's our Professor, always putting his students first…"

Byleth took Annette's hands in his. "Always."

_**They were the only thing that made you happy. That truly made you alive.**_

"I…I've been reminiscing. It's about the only thing I can do nowadays. Remembering the past. The happy memories, the sad ones, even the ones I wish I could forget."

"Which memories, Annette?." Byleth replied, gently encouraging Annette to continue.

"I was remembering the day we escorted you to the goddess's tomb. It was that very day that the war with the Adrestian Empire started. Then shortly after, you would disappear, for five years." Annette said with a sad, forlorn look in her eyes.

_**Five years, five wasted years just sleeping. To think you could have spent those five years with all of them! You hunger for it. A day, a minute, any chance to be with them again.**_

"On the day we all promised to reunite, the war was in shambles. I truly felt all hope was lost. Yet I still went to Garreg Mach. I still wanted to believe in some type of hope, no matter how useless I thought it would be."

Annette gripped Byleth's hand.

"And then I saw you, with Dimitri, side by side felling bandits. I knew then, I knew that everything would be alright. And it was, we were all together again! Mercedes, Sylvain, Felix, Ashe, Ingrid...even Dedue showed up at the end. Oh, Professor, it was like a miracle…"

And then, *it* happened.

Hearing the names of the others, the memories invaded Byleth. The memories he fought so desperately to ignore but would return again and again. He could not forget it, he never could.

_**Mercedes von Martritz would be the first. It was at her chapel, located in the kingdom's capital. As you sit by her side, Mercedes was finishing a coughing fit. She then looks at you and smiles. That gentle, sweet smile.**_

"_**It's not fair, Professor." Her melodic voice said, teasingly. "We were the oldest ones in the Blue Lions. I expected you to have wrinkles covering your face just like mines. But look at you, still as handsome as ever." She would then start to cough again, and again, and again…**_

_**The second was Sylvain Jose Gautier. While taking a walk in his land's forest he would be attacked, ironically enough, by a wild boar. The boar would gore him, and while the healers healed his injury, they could not heal the infection that would follow.**_

"_**Can you believe it, Professor?" A slightly feverish Sylvan tells you, the same old grin ever prevalent on his face. "I mistook the boar for a woman...guess my eyes aren't what they used to be, or my taste has really hit the gutter."**_

_**Felix Hugo Fraldarius would follow three days later. He was still fit back then, but as soon as Sylvain died, his body seemed to shut down.**_

"_**I guess I can't just leave him alone, who knows what trouble he'll get into, that idiot," Felix tells you with a scowl. His face then focuses on you. It was gentle. No scowling, no hatred, just...gentle.**_

"_**Take care of the prince, Professor. He'll be lost without you...we all were."**_

_**Much, much later, Ingrid Brandl Galatea.**_

"_**Professor, did you ever wonder why I didn't marry?" She asks you, her skin pale and sickly. It crossed your mind, you reply. "It's because whenever I looked at someone and thought that if I could marry them, I would always compare them to the Blue Lions. You, Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Ashe, Mercedes, Annette...and I guess even Sylvain. And I realized that they would always fall short of you all, and I just couldn't imagine spending my life to someone I thought less of then all of you. So in a way, I guess I was married to the Blue Lions. And I was content with that."**_

_**You couldn't agree more.**_

_**Ashe Ubert would be next. He would be passing through the Valley of Torment when the volcano would erupt. While the lava did not end him, the volcanic ash would ravage his lungs shortly after.**_

"_**Professor…?" Ashe asks you, breathing heavily. "Do you think...we did a good job, leading Fodlan?" Yes, of course, you replied. "I'm worried...what if, in the years ...to come ...the country just ...erupts into war again ...and everything ...just repeats….itself?" His breathing starts to slow. "Then everything we did, all the lives we killed and lost...it would mean nothing…" Shhh, you tell him. Rest. There will be no more war, professor will promise you that. As long as professor lives, Fodlan will be at peace.**_

"_**That's...good…" Felix says, his eyes slowly closing. "I'll leave it to you...Professor…"**_

_**And then, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. The Savior King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. After the war, he would live for many years. At the time of his death, he had already passed on the kingdom to his son, who was also a Garreg Mach graduate. He is barely lucid when you approach his deathbed. But when you come to his side, he opens his one eye and reaches out his hand, as if desperately seeking yours. As he holds your hand, the once famous and feared tornado king smiles so innocently it was like he was a child again. His final words would haunt you.**_

"_**You came...you always came...saving me…" The boar prince then closed his eye, his long journey finally at an end.**_

_**And finally, Dedue Molinaro. After Dmitri died, you weren't sure what Dedue would do. Would he wander off, never to be seen again? Or serve Dmitri's son for his remaining years?**_

_**To your surprise, Dedue would return with you to Garreg Mach, where he focused on cooking in the mess hall and tending the greenhouse. Those were fond days for you and Annette, whenever she visited.**_

"_**I'll be waiting, Professor, we all will," Dedue tells you. You tell him that isn't a good idea, they might be waiting forever.**_

"_**It doesn't matter." Dedue replies. "We'll wait, we'll always wait for you."**_

_**Memories, such tender memories. Yet cruel, savage. You feel them tear at your soul as you remember each time their eyes closed for the last time.**_

_**And soon, another memory will be added to it.**_

"Professor…?"

Byleth broke out of his remembrance and looked at Annette, concern in her eyes.

"Ah...forgive me, Annette. I was...just thinking back as well."

"Ohh, Professor," Annette said, almost as if she knew what he was remembering.

"Professor, do you remember when I told you I was going to teach at the magic academy?"

"Yes. I was worried."

"You thought it would be too dangerous, a room filled with students just novices at magic."

"But you proved me wrong. You were a wonderful teacher."

Annette gave a small giggle. "Hmhm, thank you, Professor, that means a lot coming from you...but did you ever wonder why I decided to become a teacher?"

"You told me you wanted to make sure the future magicians were responsible with their magic."

"That was a lie," Annette stated. "The truth is, I was jealous of you."

"Of me?"

"Yes. When I was a student, I saw how others looked at you. Entranced by your lessons, eager to hear about tomorrow's class...I know because *I* was one of them, doing the same thing. And I wanted that. I wanted students to look at me the same way. Is that petty of me?"

"No."

_**The student's eyes, looking at you. Their eyes wide, transfixed at your next words. You smile**__._

"It's not petty, it's love."

Annette's eyes slightly widen as she hears Byleth's reply, then they soften. Her eyes form a mist.

"Thank you, Professor...I...I wanted to...no, nevermind…" She looks hesitant.

"Tell me."

"I can't. It brings back too many memories. Ones we should forget." The mist in her eyes grew.

"Tell me, Annette. No matter what, tell me."

"I-I wanted to a-apologize." Her face was contorted. The mist turned into tears.

Byleth held her hands tighter.

"D-during the war…w-when you h-had to kill the o-others…"

_**No**_

"T-the members of the other houses." Tears were streaming down her face.

_**Don't say it**_

But it was too late.

"T-they weren't part of Blue Lion, but I know you cared for them. I saw you help them spar, teach them subjects in the library...and w-when we went to war you…" She looked so vulnerable.

"You never had us fight them. When we faced each other, you would always tell us to back down, to l-leave it to you." She looked ashamed.

_**Students shouldn't be killing each other**_

"I-I saw it, after each night when y-you had to kill one. You w-would enter your room, your back slouched, as if the entire weight of the world was crushing you." The tears wouldn't stop.

_**You loved them**_

"A-and we did nothing, w-we didn't know w-what we could do for you…"

_**You loved them, and you killed them**_

"I-I'm sorry P-Professor, I'm so sorry…!"

He hated those memories. But what he hated the most was when a student of his was crying.

"Shh, shh. No more tears Annette." He gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"P-professor, I…"

"Don't apologize. Never apologize. It was hard, yes. But you saved me, all of you saved me."

"Professor…"

"I wasn't sure what I was going to do after the war. The lives lost, the students killed...but I knew I had to live on. I had to see what you all would become." Byleth smiled as he tenderly looked at Annette. "And I'm so glad I did. I got to see you all grow up, spend the years together as we rebuilt Fodlan. The tea parties, the reunions...whenever I get depressed, all I have to do is think of those days and I'll be fine."

_**That wasn't quite true. Sometimes the memories would overwhelm you, and you would stay awake all night. Pondering what you could have done differently if you could have convinced them to surrender.**_

"Really…?" Annette looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really. Thank you, Annette. I'm so glad I was your Professor."

Annette's tears stopped, and her face relaxes as if a massive weight has lifted off her shoulders. She smiles at Byleth and her eyes are shining.

_**She is no longer an old woman. Her skin is young, her hair a radiant red. It is Annette, your young, ambitious student smiling at you**_**.**

"Thank you, Professor!"

And then, the mirage was over. She returns to her real age. The wrinkles, the pale hair, all come tumbling back.

She looks tired.

"Get some rest. We'll talk later."

Annette leans back on the raised bed. Her eyes look out of focus.

"Yes...yes...maybe I'll..go to bed for the night, Professor…"

It was time.

"When you wake up, we'll have tea in the garden."

"The...garden? But Professor...don't we have training tomorrow?"

Byleth looks at Annette's face. Her eyes were almost shut, but she wasn't looking at Byleth anymore. It was like she was looking at something else. A memory.

Perhaps, at the end of her life, her mind decided to return to a happier time. When everyone was innocent, and there was no death or war.

"Yes, of course. Forgive me. Training tomorrow, bright and sharp."

"I'll...make sure to wake...Sylvain...he always sleeps in…"

"If he's late I'll make him run extra laps."

"Then...I'll help Dedue in the kitchen. I think...it was his turn for breakfast duty tomorrow…"

"Dedue's food is always delicious. I can't wait."

"After training...I'll help Hilda tidy the library."

"Oh Annette, what have I told you about working too much?"

An innocent smile crosses Annette's fading face, her eyes are almost shut.

"Eheheh...sorry...Professor...I just...want to do my best..."

"My little one, what will I do with you? Very well...I'll help you tidy in the library as well."

"Ok...goodnight...Professor…"

"Goodnight, my student."

Her eyes close. Soon, her breath stops. But the smile does not falter.

_**Annette Fantaine Dominic. A beloved teacher of the Royal Sorcery of Magic. Deceased at age 103.**_ _**Passed peacefully in her sleep.**_

And then, just like all the other times, Byleth wept.

The first time was when his father died. The next, when Mercedes died, and then every student thereafter. Those were the only times that he has cried.

He did not know if he would ever cry again.

* * *

It was a half-hour later til Byleth finally had enough courage to fetch the principal. They covered the body, performed the final rites, and prepared for the transportation of her body. She would be buried at Garreg Mach cemetery, per her last wishes.

And now, Byleth was outside her house, leaning on the mansion's porch railing. It was almost sunset, and the sky was blood red.

Byleth always hated what came after, the _numbness_ he would feel. But this time, it was different.

There would be no one he could share his sorrows with. No one to look back with and remember the fond memories of the deceased's past life. No one to keep in touch with, to promise to have another tea party at the earliest convenience.

_**You are alone now. Completely and utterly alone.**_

"They all left me. What do I do now?"

He waited for an answer. None came. So he tried again.

"Please Sothis, tell me. What do I do now?"

Silence.

No, that wasn't quite right. There was a sound. It sounded like a carriage. But the body was already transported. There was nothing left.

A carriage rolled up the hill and parked alongside his. The guards accompanying him were on alert.

"Halt! We were not told of any additional guests. Please state yourselves!" A guard commanded.

The door opened from the carriage and a man with a small girl stepped out. Byleth's eyes widened.

Their hair was green.

"Ah, forgive me, guardsman. But is this the residence of Annette Dominic?" Seteth asked, with Flayn smiling innocently at his side.

"Stand down, guardsmen. They are friends of mine." Byleth commanded, barely believing what he was seeing.

"Look! Look! It's the Professor! I knew he would be here!" Flayn exclaimed as she ran up the steps and hugged Byleth. "Oh Professor, it's so good to see you again!"

"_**Are you fishing again, Professor?" She asks you. You tell her yes. It is relaxing. "What will you do when you catch them?" You tell her you will throw them back in the lake. She looks at you aghast as if the entire world is crashing around her. "I-I have a better idea, Professor!"**_

"That's Archbishop now, Flayn. Please address him appropriately." Seteth says as he joins them on the porch.

_**Seteth looks at you in irritation, he does that often you think. "Do you realize you and your students have broken all the wooden training weapons?" You apologize. You don't like them using real weapons when they train. "Stop fretting and let them use them. I'm sure they are able to handle it." You frown. You're still worried.**_

"No! Professor is Professor! He'll always be my Professor!" Flayns' mouth was puffed up in protest.

"I-I don't understand." Byleth stammers. "You two disappeared after the war, how did you find this place?"

Seteth appeared sheepish. "We were wandering around when we heard that Miss Dominic was not in good condition. We may not have been there for the other students passing, but we thought we should at least be there when Miss Dominic passed away."

Seteth grimaced. "But...judging by your face, I'm guessing we are too late."

Byleth frowned. "I'm sorry, they transported the body an hour ago."

Flayn's face looked like it was about to cry. "Oh no...Annette...she was always so helpful to me…"

Seteth sighed. "I...am sorry to hear that. I am sorry for all of their deaths. I heard...she was the last Blue Lion." Byleth nodded.

"She was, but please tell me, where did you two go? Why did you disappear?" Although Byleth thought he knew the answer.

"We...were in exile, after the war," Seteth admitted. "I had faith in you and Dimitri, but I was unsure if the rest of the country was safe for Flayn, especially after such a fierce war."

"Oh, it was terrible, Professor! He had us live in Zanado Canyon, among the ruins. There's no fish there, Professor, none!"

Seteth coughed. "Flayn convinced me that we had no need to hide anymore, so against my better judgment, we left Zanado Canyon a month ago. And indeed, it appears Flayn was right."

"Professor, Fodlan is such an amazing place now! Everyone looks so happy, you're even allied with Brigid and Almyra."

Byleth smiled. "Thank you, the students worked hard to make this country one to be proud of. If...you two are just wandering around, then I insist, please come back to Garreg Mach."

_**Don't leave me alone, you wanted to scream.**_

"Really!?"

"We cannot," Seteth answered. "We deserted you all after the war. We have no right to return."

Byleth shook his head. "Garreg Mach will always be your home. And you didn't desert us, I never faulted you for leaving. I...think I understand why you left more than you think."

Even after all these years, they looked exactly the same, exactly like Byleth. It was like they were all frozen in time, helpless to watch as the world rotated around them.

Seteth looked pained. "Yes...yes I'm sure you do." Then Seteth frowned. "But what will I do at Garreg Mach? I refuse to just loafer there."

"A teaching position just opened up recently. The new term is starting in just a couple of weeks."

"Me!? A teacher!?" Seteth balked.

"What's wrong? I think you'll make a great teacher?" Flayn questioned.

"I agree. We can enroll Flayn in your class, that way you can keep an eye-"

"I accept your offer wholeheartedly. I am ready to begin whenever."

_**Some things never change. Good.**_

"Then we're going back to Garreg Mach? Really? P-Professor, is the...the fish…"

Byleth nodded. "The rainbow fish are healthy. In fact, they are *too* healthy. The fisherman said there is an overpopulation of them, and he told me to expect fish to be on the menu for a while."

"I-I see...is that so...t-then we better hurry back." Byleth swore he saw some drool coming out of Flayn's mouth.

"Please, take my carriage. We'll all go together."

Seteth nodded. "Flayn, go get our stuff from the carriage and put it in the Archbishops. We'll be with your momentarily."

"Alright, Father!" Flayn said as he started singing a fish song while skipping down the steps.

Seteth put a hand to his face. "That girl…" But he quickly recovered and turned his attention to Byleth.

"Flayn was right though...the people are happy. You've done a good job."

Byleth was silent and instead leaned on the railing, staring out to the blood-red sky.

"Rhea would be proud of you." Seteth finished.

"I sympathize with her a lot. Archbishop is much more than I thought it would be." Byleth admitted.

Seteth joined him looking at the sky. "May I ask why you decided to accept the position of Archbishop? During your tenure as a Professor I never really considered you the religious type."

Byleth took a few moments to respond. "There were...multiple reasons. Dimitri and I believed having the support of the Church of Seiros would help the kingdom control things as things settled down."

Seteth nodded. "Understandable."

"And while I may not have been very religious, I still felt the virtues were worth living for, and I saw how important believing helped the citizens. In all honesty, after this many years, I feel like I am actually religious now…." Byleth suddenly hesitated.

"And was there another reason?" Seteth pressed.

"It was...for a more personal reason. I wanted a place for her to return to if she came back."

"Her?"

Byleth looked across the sky. But to Seteth it looked like he was trying to imagine something in front of him.

"Your mother." He replied sadly.

Seteth frowned. "But I thought you two merged?"

"We did...in a way. But I always felt ...no, maybe I just hoped that all she did was go back to sleep. And one day, she would wake up again."

"That...would be nice, wouldn't it?" Seteth said hesitantly, knowing that it would likely be impossible.

"..." Byleth didn't respond. Perhaps he knew it as well.

The two were silent as they watched the sun lower. Then, Seteth spoke..

"It's like a curse, isn't it?"

"What is?" Byleth asked.

"The Progenitor. The goddess has time as her dominion, and due to that she and her children are untouched by time. Time does not affect us the same way as it affects the ones around us. It is, in essence, immortality. And because of that, it is a curse."

"And...how do you cope with the curse?" Byleth asked, almost dreading the answer.

"You don't, Archbishop. There is no coping when your loved ones die leaving you alone."

"...It truly is a curse then."

"Yes, I…" Seteth sported a sad look on his face. "Byleth, I am sorry. After the war, I ran. I did not want to see the same thing that has happened to me and Flayn time and time again. But in my fear, I did not consider how much you would suffer as well. It was wrong of me, especially considering that we are almost family."

Byleth shook his head. "You don't have to apologize to me. If I could go back in time I...might have told my younger self to run, to run and never look back."

Seteth scoffed. "And he wouldn't listen. He would probably kick you in the stomach and stab you with his dagger."

Byleth smiled. "Yes, he probably would have...but those students have changed me, in one way or another."

Sethis studied Byleth. No longer stood the young, emotionless man he remembers always reprimanding. The lifeless eyes that would stare back at you, and the ease at which he took lives. Instead, he could see a smiling, lonely man, reminiscing past memories, things he could no longer regain.

The Blue Lions have made the Ashen Demon a human. Whether that was a good thing or not for Byleth, he may never know.

"All done! Let's go, let's go!" Flayn exclaimed, hopping up and down at the bottom of the steps.

Seteth approached the stairs and turned to Byleth. "Come, Archbishop. Let us start a new chapter, together. You, me, and Flayn. You won't be alone anymore, never again, I promise you."

"That's right, Professor!" Flayn smiled. "We're a family now, and family always sticks together."

Byleth stared in shock at Seteth and looked at Flayn. Flayn was looking up at him smiling, just like when he was a professor. And the others…

_**Silhouettes. A mirage. The students of the Blue Lion are young again. They are at the bottom of the stairs, smiling up at you...**_

"_**Good luck, Professor!"**_

The mirage fades. It is only Flayn, now looking quizzically at him.

"Yes." Byleth smiles. "Let us return home. To Garreg Mach."

Perhaps he will cry again after all.

* * *

In a place unbound by time and space, a staircase stood. Atop the stairs stood a stone throne. On the throne, a small girl with bright green hair.

She was sleeping, her head pillowed on her arms against one of the stones hand rest.

She has been sleeping for a very, very long time. Conserving her strength.

Her eyelids flicker.

Perhaps she will wake up. Perhaps she will keep sleeping. But for now, she is dreaming.

She is dreaming of a young man, of the time they shared.

But she is also dreaming of the time that has not yet passed, when she would finally have enough strength to awake.

And when that time came, they could finally be together, forever.


End file.
